Why did Russia's prewar preparations and large missile stocks fail to sustain its expected combat performance?
Short answerThe force was optimized around elite troops and short operations while corruption hollowed out the logistics and honest reporting required for a long war.
NotesRussia retained capable elite formations for short, sharp operations but allowed corruption to erode the units needed for endurance. Maintenance, sustainment, reserves, and administration appeared less prestigious until a long war made them indispensable. As missile and fire-support stocks declined, troops trained to expect overwhelming support faced a different battlefield from the one their doctrine assumed. False readiness and inventory figures then made accurate planning impossible because commanders could not know what the wider force actually possessed.